Thank you for subscribing!
Got it! Thank you!

Beyond the Buzz: How to Use Twitter for Travel Help

Even if you don't care about Twitter, there are two reasons you need to know about it: it can save you time getting through to customer service and it can save you money.

Okay. Even if you don't care about the insanely over-buzzed micro-blogging site Twitter, there is one reason you need to know about it: it can save you hours on the phone trying to get through to hotel or airline customer service, and can be a great source for finding travel deals, too.

Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a medium, not a message; it's like "the Web," and just like there are hundreds of kinds of web pages, there are hundreds of different ways people and companies use Twitter. Some people use it to chat with their friends. Some use it for self-promotion, or communicating with colleagues and peers. Some companies use it to send out press releases, or notify people about deals.

But a few brave firms are engaging with the public on Twitter, plucking out queries from the ether and trying to heal travelers' hurts via microblogging. Whether or not asking for help over Twitter works, it definitely beats waiting on the phone. And because the questions are publicly visible (and searchable via Google), sometimes it seems like companies are faster at responding to Twitter than to e-mail.

You don't have to be a member of Twitter to see travel deals and answers, but it helps; if you have your own account, you can consolidate a bunch of lists on one page, and ask your own questions as well. It's free to sign up, so you might as well.

There are a bunch of other "travel Twitter" lists that came out recently -- our own columnist Chris Elliott did one with his 50 favorite travel Tweeters -- but most lists are heavy on people saying interesting things, as opposed to ways companies can help you. My list gives you the official corporate Twitters that can give you the best advice and help you when you're having travel problems.

If you try to Tweet for help, remember a few rules. Make sure you're "following" the account you intend to contact. You need to start your post with @ and the name of the Tweeter you're trying to "contact" -- while all posts are 100% public, the @ lets them pick up on your cry for help. Stay brief and clear -- you only have 140 characters! And use a little humor. For instance, this would be a great Twitter customer service query:

@UnitedAirlines I can't get a bassinet for my 11-hour flight to Moscow! Trust me, it would make everyone on the plane happier. Help?

If you want to view any of the feeds below without signing in, go to www.twitter.com/[the name of the feed, without the @] -- such as www.twitter.com/UnitedAirlines.

Airlines

@UnitedAirlines: The best of the airline Twitter accounts, UA offers "Twares" -- special fares available only on Twitter -- and helps with customer service, such as telling one Tweeter that the plane her father was stuck on had a mechanical delay.

@SouthwestAir: A bit loud and chaotic, the official Southwest Twitter account updates watchers on new routes, new service, and special deals.

@JetBlue: JetBlue's official Twitter account is marked by unusually fast responses to customer service requests, such as explanations for flight delays.

@AlaskaAir: Alaska Air's Twitter account tells you which flights on a given day have Wi-Fi, tells you about sales and responds to problems (there's an interesting exchange between the airline and actor Rainn Wilson about a flight delay.)

@WestJet: Lots of deals and discount codes appear on the Canadian airline's Twitter feed.

@FlyAirNZ: Air New Zealand's Twitter account is all about helping fliers with their requests.

@SeatGuru: The world's greatest experts in airline seating help you with your seating questions.

Hotels

@HyattConcierge: The best of the hotel Twitter accounts is a 24-7 concierge service that exists to help Hyatt travelers with their requests.

@OmniHotels: Omni's customer service team is just as friendly, responsive and aggressive as Hyatt's. There just aren't as many Omni hotels.

@MarriottIntl: Marriott's Twitter presence is chattier than it is substantial, but you might be able to get some useful answers out of them.

@StarwoodBuzz: Starwood's official Twitter feed is mostly PR fluff, but there's the occasional response to a traveler query in there.

@FairmontHotels: The luxury hotel brand mixes in deals and PR notices with useful responses to travelers' queries.

Destinations and Agencies

@TravelPortland, @TravelSalem, @TravelOregon: The official tourism teams for the state of Oregon and two of its cities respond daily to travelers' requests with tips on where to go and what to do.

@EnjoyIllinois, @VisitChicago, @ExploreChicago: The official accounts for the state of Illinois, the Chicago metro area, and the city of Chicago respectively all respond to travelers' requests for tips on their state and city.

@Travelocity: The mega-travel-agency does a pretty good job of responding to requests on their Twitter feed, even for prices for specific flights.

@Hotwire: Hotwire's human-monitored Twitter account is all about responding to questions and comments on their low-priced air and hotel deals.

@TheNegotiator: Priceline's official Twitter feed is done entirely in the voice of William Shatner's commercial character, which is both entertaining and a little disconcerting. You may get better customer service from @travelekspert, the account of Priceline's official blogger Brian Ek.

My own Twitter account is full of chatter about cell phones (my other job is as a cell phone expert), but feel free to contact me if you like: @saschasegan. You can follow Frommers.com's editor at @clampetfrommers, the editorial director at @davitydave, and the whole big Frommer's guidebook family at @FrommersTravel


advertisement